This thesis explores the literacy and learning of children in a rural community in Zimbabwe, both at home and at school and focuses, in particular, on the interplay between these two domains. It uses a critical ethnographic methodology, combining an insider perspective with that of a trained outsider, to document the worlds and lives of the research participants. This approach questions the assumption that responsibility for poor educational outcomes should be placed on children and their families and is underpinned by various theoretical perspectives. including community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991), funds of knowledge (Moll et al, 2003), ruling passions (Barton and Hamilton, 1998) and transformative pedagogy (Cummins, 2001).